Comments on: A Compilation of the Controversy over Calvinism in the Southern Baptist Convention http://timmybrister.com/2007/05/28/a-compilation-of-the-controversy-over-calvinism-in-the-southern-baptist-convention/ Trusting God :: Treasuring Christ :: Triumphing the Gospel Sat, 26 May 2012 00:03:12 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Dr. James Willingham http://timmybrister.com/2007/05/28/a-compilation-of-the-controversy-over-calvinism-in-the-southern-baptist-convention/#comment-45083 Tue, 31 May 2011 02:09:40 +0000 http://timmybrister.com/2007/05/28/a-compilation-of-the-controversy-over-calvinism-in-the-southern-baptist-convention/#comment-45083 In 1967-68 I was a Social Worker-I with the Kentucky Division of Public Assistance in Ashland. One of my welfare clients, an elderly lady had a painting hanging on a wall of her home. it was a painting of a peasant couple stading in a potato field, heads bowed over a basket of potatoes, giving thanks. In the background could be seen a church steeple. It was the work of a noted French artist of the 1800s, Jean Millet. The lady said the painting had been given to one of her relatives in the 1800s by the son of Jean Millet who had come to America to live. Her relative had performed some favor, and in repayment by way of saying thanks, the son gave the relative the painting. He supposedly said, “This is the original.The one hanging in the Lourve is a copy.” She gave some information that differentiated the two paintings which I was later able to establish as facts, when I visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC some 3 yrs. later. What the woman on welfare had was apparently a lost masterpiece. When I went back to check on it, the house was burned down. Presumably the work burnt up in the fire. I have used that experience as an illustration for sermons and one article, The Lost Masterpiece.

In the article I used the title to describe the theology of the Baptists and of the Great Awakenings, truly, a lost masterpiece. To put it bluntly, I often feel suspicious of our present day Reformd Baptist…they have a harshness about their presentations which suggests that there is something artificial about their understanding of that theology which they have supposedly adopted. In my historical researches, I found the theology to be constructed in such a fashion as to make believers balanced, flexible, creative, and magnetic. In fact, all of the doctrines are actually invitations to begin one’s spiritual pilgrimages. These truths are therapeutic paradoxes which restore a sense of responsibility and empowerment to sinners. Knowing that such teachings are intensely inviting truths, winsome beyond words, so wonderful that they prove to be irresistible, one wonders why people would not print such findings, but, evidently, this might upset some applecarts of control and manipulation. Outside forces like to maintain their puppet strings – even if they forfeit the power that really comes with freedom for the reality of revelation.

]]> By: Gordon http://timmybrister.com/2007/05/28/a-compilation-of-the-controversy-over-calvinism-in-the-southern-baptist-convention/#comment-45081 Mon, 30 May 2011 18:47:55 +0000 http://timmybrister.com/2007/05/28/a-compilation-of-the-controversy-over-calvinism-in-the-southern-baptist-convention/#comment-45081 What happened to kirk?

]]> By: Dr. James Willingham http://timmybrister.com/2007/05/28/a-compilation-of-the-controversy-over-calvinism-in-the-southern-baptist-convention/#comment-41977 Fri, 01 Jan 2010 17:27:17 +0000 http://timmybrister.com/2007/05/28/a-compilation-of-the-controversy-over-calvinism-in-the-southern-baptist-convention/#comment-41977 Some of us owe nothing to Mr. Riesinger or the Reformed Baptit movement. The pastor of the church where I attended as a child in Arkansas, Rev. George Washington Gray, preached Sovereign Grace to his congregation in the 40s-50s. He fit William Warren Sweet’s description of the Frontier Farmer preacher of the Baptists so well that I thought I was reading a description of Brother Gray. My ordaining pastor Dr. Ernest R. Campbell was a Sovereign Grace preacher as was R.G. Lee. Rolfe Barnard was really a Southern Baptist who got his Sovereign Grace views from W.T. Conner’s class in Systematic Theology at SWBTS. In fact most people do not understanand grasp the realiy that Sovereign Grace as the Baptists of the 1700s and 1800s was the most liberal, persuasive, uniting, creative, balanced, flexible, winsome theology on the face of God’s green earth, and it is coming back. This time, God willing, we shal see it win the whole earth for a 1001 generations. Three factors are crucial to an awakening, namely, the theology (Sovereign Grace), the Presence, and the HUMILITY. WAIT UNTIL SOUTHERN BAPTISTS FIND OUT THAT EVERY POINT OF THE TULIP OUTLINE PLUS PREDESTINATION AND REPROBATON ARE THE MOST INTENSELY INVITING, WINSOME, ENCOURAGING, UPLIFTING, UTTERLY TRANSFORMING TRUTHS THAT EVER CAME TO MORTAL MAN FROM THE MIND OF GOD. SUCH TRUTHS MADE THE PILGRIMS WILLING TO BECOME THE STEPPING STONES FOR OTHERS TO ADVANCE THE CAUSE OF CHRIST. THE DEPTH OF THE BIBLE MOVED THEIR PASTOR JOHN ROBINSON WHO WAS ONE OF THE PARTICIPANTS IN THE SYNOD OF DORDT TO SAY, “WHO KNOWS WHAT NEW LIGHT IS GETTING READY TO BREAK FORTH FROM GOD’S WORD.” TRY THE SEPARATE BAPTISTS AND ELDRESSES FOR A CASE IN POINT AND FOR THE UNITING OF SEPARATES AND REGULARS AND FOR EVANGELIZING IN QUANTITY AND QUALITY AND FOR LAUNCHING THE GREAT CENTURY OF MISSIONS. Gentlemen, we are getting ready for another Great Awakening, terrible and awesome as such an event it is, and it behooves us to say: Shall we lead or follow or have to get out of the way?

]]> By: Dr. James Willingham http://timmybrister.com/2007/05/28/a-compilation-of-the-controversy-over-calvinism-in-the-southern-baptist-convention/#comment-41967 Wed, 23 Dec 2009 22:06:57 +0000 http://timmybrister.com/2007/05/28/a-compilation-of-the-controversy-over-calvinism-in-the-southern-baptist-convention/#comment-41967 Sir: I speak out of six years of research in Baptist church history, covering over 250 sources, accumulating some 3000 5×8 notecards, and writing an MA thesis in American Social and Intellectual History. In addition I taught a Baptist History course in seminary extension, church history for another school, and American History. Besides, I continued to do reading and research for years and years. Even John Wesley paid homage to Whitefield in his journal, admitting that there were some who were elected to salvation and who were effectully saved and who would never fall. Sovereig Grace fully understood and preached in the anointing of the Holy Spirit produces Godly living, devout believers, wonderful witnesses for Christ. Consider how Jonathan Edwards’ Humble Attempt was the primary means for getting the Great Century of Missions rolling. Interestingly, even Spurgeon said Wesley used stronger language than he did about God using force to get some people converted. Like he lady said to another Spurgeon, “O it was so wonderful that I could not resist it.”

]]> By: Donald R Whisler http://timmybrister.com/2007/05/28/a-compilation-of-the-controversy-over-calvinism-in-the-southern-baptist-convention/#comment-41909 Fri, 04 Dec 2009 02:50:11 +0000 http://timmybrister.com/2007/05/28/a-compilation-of-the-controversy-over-calvinism-in-the-southern-baptist-convention/#comment-41909 Contrary to what Dr. Willingham says the 2nd great awankening happened because both the Baptist and the Methodist were preaching Biblical Holiness and Godly Living.

]]> By: Dr. James Willingham http://timmybrister.com/2007/05/28/a-compilation-of-the-controversy-over-calvinism-in-the-southern-baptist-convention/#comment-38225 Tue, 07 Oct 2008 16:00:08 +0000 http://timmybrister.com/2007/05/28/a-compilation-of-the-controversy-over-calvinism-in-the-southern-baptist-convention/#comment-38225 Sirs: Sovereign Grace, the Doctrines of Grace, the TULIP teachings are the secret of the First and Second Great Awakenings, the Great Century of Missions, religious liberty, the uniting of separate and Regular Baptists, evangelism in quality and quantity, etc. In fact, these teachings, understood and properly applied make one to be balanced, flexible, and creative. Taken wrongly, they are destructive. Abuse of God’s revelation is to be expected, given man’s falling (note FALLING) condition. But in view of God’s grace and mercy we must also expect the wonderful renewals, when truth is taken rightly, that is with all due humility and a sense of utter unworthiness as witness the greatest of all hymns, Amazing grace. It sums up the right attitude in the most appropriate terms. What we are now witnessing might be the ground swell preceeding the greatest awakening of all, the one in which the whole earth is filled with His knowledge and glory as the waters that cover the sea.

]]> By: Janet Falkmann http://timmybrister.com/2007/05/28/a-compilation-of-the-controversy-over-calvinism-in-the-southern-baptist-convention/#comment-37586 Wed, 30 Jul 2008 17:14:21 +0000 http://timmybrister.com/2007/05/28/a-compilation-of-the-controversy-over-calvinism-in-the-southern-baptist-convention/#comment-37586 Dear Calvinism Controversy compiler,

I have been trying to find out what Tony Evans had to say at the Southern Baptist Convention about Calvinism. Do you have a link to his message or a transcript of it?
The men below were mentioned as having participated in this discussion. Which were in defense of calvinsim?

Erwin MacManus, David Jeremiah, Tony Evans, and Ed Young

I wanted to find out which side these men fell on if any. Any input you would have would be appreciated.

Thank you very much,

Janet Falkmann

]]> By: My Compilation of the Calvinism Controversy Revised and Expanded « Provocations & Pantings http://timmybrister.com/2007/05/28/a-compilation-of-the-controversy-over-calvinism-in-the-southern-baptist-convention/#comment-7831 Fri, 15 Jun 2007 08:35:17 +0000 http://timmybrister.com/2007/05/28/a-compilation-of-the-controversy-over-calvinism-in-the-southern-baptist-convention/#comment-7831 [...] Compilation of the Calvinism Controversy Revised and Expanded Two weeks ago, I posted some of my research on the last two decades of the Calvinism controversy in the Southern Baptist Convention, [...]

]]> By: Shepherd the Flock » Blog Archive » Open Letter of Rebuttal to Dr. Jerry Vines’ Sermon Against Calvinism http://timmybrister.com/2007/05/28/a-compilation-of-the-controversy-over-calvinism-in-the-southern-baptist-convention/#comment-7441 Sat, 09 Jun 2007 20:36:41 +0000 http://timmybrister.com/2007/05/28/a-compilation-of-the-controversy-over-calvinism-in-the-southern-baptist-convention/#comment-7441 [...] [To get the recent history of the Calvinism debate in the SBC, see Timmy Brister’s excellent ‘Compilation of the Controversy over Calvinism in the Southern Baptist Convention‘]. [...]

]]> By: Timmy Brister http://timmybrister.com/2007/05/28/a-compilation-of-the-controversy-over-calvinism-in-the-southern-baptist-convention/#comment-7424 Sat, 09 Jun 2007 16:09:07 +0000 http://timmybrister.com/2007/05/28/a-compilation-of-the-controversy-over-calvinism-in-the-southern-baptist-convention/#comment-7424 Klay,

Thanks for the information update. I will make the changes accordingly. So is there any difference between your GRACE and George’s GRACE?

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